1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an information providing system adapted to provide contents data containing a group of multi-media contents obtained by combining prearranged program main body data and assisting materials as well as to an information terminal device, an information server device and an information providing method that are adapted to be used with such a system.
2. Description of the Related Art
The broadcasting stations of many broadcasting systems including those of terrestrial broadcasting, satellite broadcasting and CATV transmit news and programs with commercials (CMs) inserted therein. Differently stated, the sponsors of TV commercials bear the cost of producing programs and transmitting the produced programs, that should otherwise be borne by the viewers so that the viewers are provided with broadcasting services at considerably low cost.
Meanwhile, many programs that are broadcast are recorded on various recording means such as magnetic tapes by using recording/reproduction devices such as video cassette recorders (to be referred to as VCRs hereinafter) so that they may be replayed whenever necessary.
The recent technological developments in the fields of digital coding of audio signals and wide area telecommunications networks entails various possible applications of the technologies. Such possible applications include interactive video services that are being studied for feasibility. A typical example of such services is VoD (Video on Demand). With VoD, the video server of the transmitting station is connected to the set top box of each subscriber/receiver by way of telecommunications lines on a one to one basis so that the video server can be operated like a VCR according to the request of the subscriber sent from the set top box to the video server by way of an up line. For instance, the applicant of the present patent application has proposed an information providing system for the purpose of streaming transmission of programs on an on-demand basis where each subscriber/user can select and download a program by way of an information telecommunications network such as Internet (see Japanese Patent Application No. 11-354992).
For programs to be provided on an on-demand basis by streaming transmission, the transmission center of the service provider may typically store:
1) motion pictures to be transmitted in the Christmas season that contain CMs for Christmas sales inserted therein;
2) motion pictures to be transmitted in the New Year season that contain CMs for New Year sales inserted therein; and
3) motions pictures to be transmitted in night time zones in the Christmas season or the New Year season that contain CMs.
Then, the service provider may transmit any of the above programs to the subscriber/user on an on-demand basis in response to the request of the latter. Each on-demand program of the type under consideration will carry a price tag showing the price of the on-demand service that of course more than covers the cost of the service.
Most programs that are recorded and replayed by ordinary home users of recording/reproduction devices such as VCRs contain CMs that are unchangeable. In other words, the CMs inserted in a program or between any two programs cannot be changed and constantly stay there until the program or programs are erased.
However, CMs are a sort of commodity information and therefore mostly meaningful only for a certain limited period of time. Additionally, CMs need to be conveyed to selected targets.
For example, a CM for a discount sales campaign for a limited period of time will be meaningless if it is replayed after the period from the viewpoint of announcement and advertisement. Similarly, a CM for cosmetic products will have little effect if the viewers of the CM are mostly men. However, a broadcast program that is recorded by a recording/reproduction device will be reproduced without paying attention to the majority sex of the viewers.
Meanwhile, with known on-demand broadcasting systems, while a subscriber/user can select a program he or she wants to watch out of a plurality of available programs, the user cannot select one of same programs that are arranged differently.
As a result of the recent technological developments, particularly those related to Internet and other telecommunications networks, a wide variety of programs and other audio/video services are made available to viewers. Nowadays, viewers expect to obtain mass information not so much as information customized to individual viewers. However, preparing and storing customized pieces of information will require enormous efforts and a vast storage capacity because the demand of each viewer/user can change incessantly with time.
With know on-demand broadcasting systems, however, a given program accompanied by given CMs is always priced at a same level on a same cost management policy so that it will be a problem how to price the program if it is combined with different CMs immediately before transmission. If a program is combined with various different sets of CMs and recorded for storage in order to adapt itself to different situations, the transmission center will have to be provided with a vast storage capacity. Additionally, each of such combinations have to be priced appropriately, entailing cumbersome cost-related calculations.